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As a parent or carer to a young child, there are many decisions you need to make for them – including whether to enroll them in day care. If your child is an infant or of preschool age, there can be multiple benefits for them to spend time in a day care setting regularly, which can have a lasting positive impact on them as they grow and develop.
In this article, we look at how children can benefit and also the ways that parents and carers can be positively impacted by high-quality day care settings like our nurseries at Kids Planet.
Children’s day care is a term that covers a range of different types of settings for babies, toddlers, and children, but the most common kinds of daycare in the UK include:
For many families in the UK, day nurseries offer the most accessible and convenient kind of children’s day care, especially because they offer longer opening hours and also focus on early years learning and development, helping little ones to learn and grow their skills in a fun and safe environment.
High-quality children’s day care settings offer children a structured environment where they can safely participate in activities that are designed specifically to encourage cognitive development, whatever their age or stage of learning. Offering a different environment to the home, with a range of stimuli and diverse toys, can help broaden the child’s cognitive experience and fire their imagination in new ways.
Children’s daycare offers little ones regular interactions with their peers, which helps them learn and hone social skills, such as cooperating with one another, listening to others, sharing toys and taking turns with activities and play. In this setting, children can also meet and spend time with others who may have different backgrounds, helping them learn about inclusivity and cultural awareness.
There are a couple of different ways in which daycare can bring physical health benefits to young children. Firstly, exposure to common illnesses might not be much fun at the time, but it helps children gain immunity, which can be really beneficial in the long-term.
Another way in which a good daycare setting can help with your child’s physical health is by incorporating active play and time spent outdoors every day. Using approaches such as Udeskole, which can help boost concentration, encourage higher levels of social interaction and build confidence, all through outdoor play and learning, the children can burn off some energy in a positive and constructive way.
Interacting with other children and adults in the daycare setting helps little ones develop their communication skills and increase their vocabulary. They learn how to communicate their feelings and opinions to others outside of their own family, which helps with development and provides opportunities to gain an understanding of other people’s feelings too.
For many children, having a regular routine and structure to their day can help them feel more confident, secure and in control of their emotions. Knowing what to expect and when provides them with certainty and can help build positive and active habits that are useful at home too, such as washing their hands before lunch, tidying up toys at the end of the session and spending time exploring outdoors.
Spending time in a day care setting might be the first time that some children have been apart from their parents, carer or family members for any real period of time, which can be a daunting prospect for everyone at first. The great thing about a high-quality children’s day nursery is that it provides your little one with opportunities to freely explore and form relationships with others independently, which is an essential life skill as well as a great way to build confidence.
When a young child is able to experience independence, it helps them to develop their own personality, along with their own thoughts, ideas and opinions, as they learn and experience more about the world and the people around them, outside of their family unit.
A great day nursery offers a wide range of different activities and experiences for children, to help stimulate, inspire and engage with them. This helps to spark curiosity in little ones, encouraging them to discover and explore, develop their interests and try out new things, as well as learning new skills as they go.
At Kids Planet, you will notice a calm environment; a neutral space, accented with well thought out resources that are purposely placed to support and extend children’s learning. We enhance our play spaces regularly by reflecting on the children’s needs and their specific interests, helping your child to become a lifelong learner, picking up and developing new skills along the way.
The transition from day nursery or pre-school to primary school can feel like a big step at the time, but a high-quality daycare setting can make a huge difference to the smoothness of these changes. Many of the foundations learned in early years day care act as a stepping stone to school, such as the daily routine, time spent learning through play and building relationships with others. These experiences and skills will be a big help when starting school.
For some families, especially if all parents or carers work or have other responsibilities, children’s daycare is a necessity to keep the family unit functioning. Many parents feel guilty about enrolling their little one in daycare, but a high-quality setting can bring multiple benefits to the child in a safe and supportive environment, as well as freeing up time for you to do what you need to.
For example, Kids Planet day nurseries provide:
Kids Planet is a family-led group of early years settings across the UK. We know how important it is for children to develop essential physical, cognitive, life and social skills in a safe, inclusive and supportive space.
If you’re looking for a high-quality and nurturing setting for your child to experience all of the benefits of nursery and active learning through play, you can find your nearest nursery today.
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